@David : We have been talking cloaking devices...Not totally invisible but a bit like the look in predator for example ....And Holodevice to project a false ship in battle....does any of this seem pheasable and worth considering ? I know long way off but just wondered

@ Marc Alexander - Depends whats in the mince meat. Just made the annual supply of mincemeat and bottling as we speak - mine might make you tipsy but nothing else. I guess there might be a problem if you were carrying narcotics in your Cobra and got the ingredients mixed up.

I have a dream that one day this nation of Elite pilots will rise up and be able to live out the true destiny of their origins and heritage. That they be given the opportunity to re-ignite the skills of old long held in hibernation and once again join the brotherhood of the Elite. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all Elite pilots are created equal.

I have a dream that one day amongst the asteroid belts of some distant moon our seasoned Elite pilots of old will be able to share an orbital outpost with the sons and daughters of those old hands at the dry-dock of the brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day this band of brothers will able to share in the bounties left by the less fortunate amongst us and be able to use these remnants to drive an emerging economy of trade.

I have a dream that those that so choose will be able to busy themselves with commerce in the safe corridors of the home systems under the protection of our trusted police forces.

I have a dream that for those with a streak for adventure will have beholden to them the opportunities and technologies to travel into the uncharted territories, as yet undiscovered, and to prospect for the hidden treasures which lay there. The knowledge of these discoveries kindling the fires of future exploration and expansion.

I have a dream that for those who are skilled with the weapon should be given all the opportunity to hunt down and redress the balance caused by those who seek to destroy the symbiosis of the brotherhood and all it stands for and that this course shall have its bounties.

I have a dream that for the element within our midsts with trouble on their minds that they should have the free will to seek profit from those less well armed and less fortunate through violence and piracy but with full knowledge of the consequences that shall rain down upon them as a result.

I have a dream that one day that the sons and daughters of this new Elite pilot breed will be able to seamlessly visit the surfaces of the jewel-like orbs that hang in the sky near their outposts to witness the wonders on their surface and spread the civilisation.

@Officer Liqua, Yes, there is weregild IRL, but there has to be a way out that is fun, or not too onerous. Fines proportional to net worth are one way, but that would also require a mechanism to prevent the hiding of funds among friends.

@Tim & @Alien - it's not a bank holiday until tomorrow in UK. Some systems don't update real time, and some processing is only done on weeknights. So items don't always appear on statements immediately. You should be able to ring your bank and get details of the available balance, that would exclude any charges against your card/pending payments that may not be visible yet.

@Andy - You are presuming that non-Founders can arrive at the system in the first place ... It's more likely to be a star system on the galactic map that Founders can see but the rest can't ... so if you are chasing someone and they hyperspace to that system you simply loose them on your scanner.

@Davor ... welcome to the madhouse! Good to have you on board. This game is going to be awesome. There are some really cool higher tiers with different ships and start points and 'free forever expansions' too. Have a look at them over the next few days! Happy Christmas!